EODdad, Welcome Aboard! I found navyformoms in searching for answers to my son's future. I just knew their had to be a site for dads like n4m's but I was wrong. So I started this site so us dads would also have a place to call home. I'm new at this and I hope this site will benefit fathers that come behind us. So jump right in share concerns, join groups, share info, and show off your sailor. I'm so glad to find out their are so many proud Navy dads just like myself. I hope this site benefits you and your family throughout your sons journey in the Navy. Thank Jeff for his service for me and yours as well. Thanks again for joining us.
Sincerely, EG

Welcome aboard! always nice to have new dads join.
My son is an AE AN stationed at the Marine Corp Base Hawaii. He is attached to a patrol squadron of P-3's.
Chuck

They are still in the air and slated to be replaced.
He loves the base and the work, but he is trapped on the base. It is hard to go anywhere with out a car. Main roads comming into the base with no sidewalks. Nearest bus stop is 50 minutes from the base, cabs are expensive. He is looking at a car. We phoned our insurance company to get him a quote. We will see how that plays out!

You are so correct, if you remember all of those barracks that we lived in at GL, there are only 2 left and they are taking them down as we speak. The old mess hall is gone and there are tons of new buildings. I couldn't believe how much it had changed. It was really strange hearing women Company Commanders while there too. We are very fortunate knowing that our sons have enlisted and have contracts. I am now a high school principal and work closely with all of my military recruiters. In Michigan, they are being inundated with people trying to get in. A lot of people laid-off with no prospects of jobs in the near future. I was talking to the Navy recruiter today and he'd indicated that they are now getting guys signed up who are not shipping off to BC until 2010. It's crazy here! My wife is originally from Westwood CA and I used to be stationed at North Island.

Welcome to NavyDads eoddad! I'm sure you'll find the site as fun and useful as I have. Explore and make some friends, add your comments to a discussion or two, read the postings in the various groups-- even start one or two. I have! If you have any questions or concerns about your sailor and what he is going through...ask! I'm sure someone here will have the answer or can point you in the right direction to find out. I'm lucky enough to have two sailors- my son Eric is on the second half of a seven-month cruise on the carrier Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) and my daughter Kat recently returned from a seven-month cruise on the carrier Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72). And eoddad this is a great place to brag about your sailor as well! So join in and let us know how Jeff is doing!

As a parent of a sailor currently or soon to be at Great Lakes you'll have many questions about what your son is going through. Thanks to one of our members we have two excellent videos that you can access from the Video area on the NavyDads.com main page: New Bootcamp 1 of 2 and New Bootcamp 2 of 2. These videos will answer many of your questions and concerns and will give you a better understanding of how the United States Navy transforms our children into sailors!

Be sure to spend some time in the Bootcamp group- there are many questions and answers available to help you understand what your sailor is going through. And as PIR draws closer, be sure to spend some time going through the PIR-Tips, Hints and Helps group- we’ve tried to assemble some tips and suggestions to make your sailor's PIR more enjoyable.

And thank you for your service to our great country! Best Regards- Paul

You are so right on!!! I do remember that screaming and hollering as soon as you got off the bus, then again in the middle of the night. I don't think that they do that as much as they used to. I've been a football coach for many years and it seems that they use that type of philosophy now. They still get on the kids about attention to detail and all, but I don't think that they PT them like they did to us, nor get into their faces like we used to get. As a matter of fact, while Eric was in bootcamp, I'd asked him how it was and he said, "it's a lot easier than 2-a-days and the RTCs are nicer than you coaches". He also said that they actually got bored while in bootcamp! I never remember being bored(well except for those wonderful films we had to watch). What squadron were you with?

No kidding!!! I went through FRAC at HS-10 then deployed aboard the USS Enterprise with CAG-11. Do you remember AW1 Discenzo(sp) or AW2 "Big E", Bill Small? I too think that some of that discipline was good for me. I look at some of the kids that I now coach and wonder if they'd have made it through some of the stuff that we did. Physically they are very strong and quick, but emotionally, I don't know if they've ever really had the "boom" lowered on them.

LOL...I agree with you so much. I have been very hard on Eric(because I've wanted better for him that I had) and there has actually been some resentment from him towards me while he was in school. He didn't seem to see the value of working hard on the grades whereas I did. I'm very proud of him going into the Navy(by his choice) and going into a noble rating as a HM. He has indicated that he'd like to certainly go FMF but has expressed and interest in SEALS or RECON. I'm behind him no matter what he decides. It's been an amazing transformation watching him change from a boy to a man. They were able to do in 8 weeks what I've been trying to do for 18 years:) Last year we were visiting my wife's family in Long Beach and took a day to visit to San Diego, we drove out to Coronado and it was neat to see the old hangers and the town. I took the kids down to where we used to live in IB(just down the street from Baloots) and I was amazed at the new condos that they'd put up. I don't think that we could afford to live there now, it was incredible.

Gosh, wouldn't it be great if we could run a school like bootcamp. I actually am pretty fortunate in my school. I am the last and ultimate word on who attends and stays in our school. We are an "At risk" school that helps those who don't make it in a regular high school. Most of my students come with so much baggage that they struggle just getting a meal once they leave the building. The parents are often the cause of the angst. It's hard to concentrate on school when mom is hooked on drugs and dad is in prison. I hug them up but when they need it but I am not by an means a molly coddler with them. The girls dress like ladies(or they're sent home), boys wear pants that fit them and their hats are removed once they enter the building(or they are sent home). We tolerate no drugs or cursing. Once they buy into it, they find great success, if they can't buy in, they need to leave and find something else that will tolerate their non-conformity. My staff is incredible and would go to the end of the earth for our students, but expect the students to meet them half-way.
Eric and I essentially did the same thing last summer, only we went and spent 2 weeks in Yellowstone and Grand Teton NPs. It was a wonderful experience and I think that it helped bring us closer(until school started again:). Our daughter tends to bust her ass in school and complains when she gets a B+, quite a departure from Eric. Now though, he seems to be studying and working hard. I pray that he makes it to his goals. I think that he can.

What do you ear from RTC?

He is pretty much settled in to his routine. He is in a temporary command as his squadron is deployed. He is getting along with all but a couple of the guys. He tells me that his first class has been advising him on leave. He found an error on his leave record that should restore 7 - 8 days. Comes from a snafu at the last command. His orders were delayed from Dec 19 to Dec 27, but the leave papers were prepared ahead and not corrected. One of the chiefs approached him and wanted to know why his name was not on the list for the E-4 exam. Since he has already taken the test once the chief is check into it. Seem as if some of the senior enlisted are watching over him.
He is still pretty much trapped on the base as buss service is very limited and no car, His roommate is working on getting his car shipped.
Tell Jeff I wish him the best. God Bless him!

What's up with Jeff??